Last month's average daily sale was 252,552, 6.2 per cent more than in December 2003.
The Independent's market share is now 11.6 per cent compared with 11 per cent in December 2003.

In the same period, sales of
The Guardian fell by 4 per cent and
The Daily Telegraph fell by 0.8 per cent;
The Times recorded a rise of 2.5 per cent.

The Independent's continuing success was recognised when it was named Newspaper of the Year for the second time at the What The Papers Say awards. The judges praised the paper for its groundbreaking switch to compact format, which they described as ''technically brilliant'', and its bold front pages which had ''genuinely changed the face of publishing''.

The Independent on Sunday has also shown year-on-year UK newstrade growth for the fifth consecutive month, the only quality Sunday paper to show an increase.

Ivan Fallon, CEO of Independent News & Media UK, said: ''The 15th consecutive month of year-on-year growth illustrates the continuing appeal of the compact format, but, more importantly, the strength and variety of the content in
The Independent. Already we are planning significant developments for the coming year.''